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Primary Day in PA 2016!

If you live in Pennsylvania, don't forget to vote on April 26! It is a critical time to cast your ballot on the issues that affect you. Your vote matters more than ever, especially when it comes to the policies that affect women, girls, and families like the ones we serve every day.

The following information is for people who are registered to vote in Pennsylvania. If you live in another state, or have questions that are not answered in this post, please visit http://www.vote411.org/.

***If you have any issues on Election Day, please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE. Be sure to bring this number with you to the polls!***

***Who are Delegates and Why Are They on My Ballot?***
At the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, delegates will help make the final decision on who is nominated for President. Pennsylvanians vote on delegates to represent the Commonwealth. Each party allocates delegates in different ways - you can read more at Ballotpedia.

If you are voting in the primary as a Democrat, you can find the Presidential candidate supported by each delegate next to their names.

If you are voting in the primary as a Republican, the ballots will not show the candidate supported by each delegate. The Patriot-News has a list of delegates and who they support here.Will I Need Voter ID?

IN MOST CASES, YOU WILL NOT NEED IDENTIFICATION TO VOTE IN THE APRIL ELECTIONS. The Voter ID law has been overturned and is no longer in effect. Only first-time voters, voters using a new polling place, and voters using absentee ballots will need to provide ID.

If you are a first-time voter or if you are voting at a new polling place, you should bring an approved form of identification. To see all approved forms, visit the PA Department of State voting website.

Pennsylvania's primaries are closed, so you must be a party member to vote for a party’s candidate. In other words, you cannot vote for a Democratic candidate unless you are a registered Democrat. If you are registered as an independent, you cannot vote for a Democratic or Republican presidential candidate.Where is My Polling Place?

The Pennsylvania Department of State offers an online tool to help find your polling place. In Pennsylvania, the polls are open from 7 AM to 8 PM.

You can find a demo of the voting machines used at your polling station here.

All voters may bring a list of candidates on the ballot and/or a list of key issues or specific proposals that are on the ballot.

If you have any issues on Election Day, please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE. Be sure to bring this number with you to the polls!

What Are My Rights As a Voter?

Under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, it is illegal for any state or local government to discriminate against racial, ethnic or language minority groups by denying them the right to vote.

In Pennsylvania, you may ask for assistance to vote as long as that assistance is provided by someone other than your employer (or their agent), your union head (or their agent) or the Judge of Elections. You may choose the person who will assist you - polling workers do not have the right to choose that person for you. The first time you need assistance, you will need to fill out a form provided by the Election Official at your polling place. After the first time, there should be a notation by your registration record showing your request for assistance.

What if I Have Problems Voting?

If your name is not in the books at the polling place, or if you have any problems voting, please work with the Election officials to make sure you are at the right place. If you are at the correct polling place but your name is not on the books, you can vote by provisional ballot. The Board of Elections will examine the provisional ballots within seven days and will count the votes if you were properly registered and voting at the correct polling place. If you are having problems and are at the correct polling place, do not leave without casting a provisional ballot. Please check the VotesPA website for more on provisional ballots.
If you have any problems at the polls, please call 1-866-OURVOTE.

Pennsylvania and many other states require voter registration before Election Day - in Pennsylvania's case, voters must be registered one month ahead of time. So if you recently moved, just turned 18, haven't voted in a while, or never registered before, the time to sign up is now.

PathWays PA has partnered with Rock the Vote to offer voter registration through this blog! You can fill out the form below to register or to make sure that you are registered.

Please take the time to register, and also consider pledging to vote in support of your economic values at wewontwait2016.org!

From our friends at CLASPRegister now for three national audio conferences on job scheduling!
Job schedules matter in many ways. For all workers, it helps when an employer is responsive to a request for a needed schedule change. And far too many workers have volatile and potentially destabilizing schedules. If you don't know when you are supposed to be at work until the last minute, how do you arrange child care or transportation? If your total hours fluctuate from week to week, how do you budget for rent and food?
To address these issues and emerging policy opportunities, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is hosting and sponsoring three Job Schedules Matter audio conferences.

The conferences, which are co-sponsored by the Center for Popular Democracy and the National Women's Law Center, will include comments from U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congressman George Miller on why they introduced the Schedules that Work Act. You'll also hear from workers about th…

The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) will host two public conference calls in October. Information on the calls follows below: Breakfast Matters - Effective Messaging: Getting Positive Press in your Community

Thursday October 11, 3 – 4 pm ET Click here to register.
Learn tips from a national communications firm about how to place your stories with local media and receive positive press coverage for your program.

Click here to register.
Learn how you can connect with a myriad of community partners, from parent groups to corporate volunteer programs, who can offer you and your program their time, energy, and support. Community partners can assist you with meal preparation, programming, outreach to increase your participation, and ultimately to help build up community support and in…